Hydrophone probelm

[Jazzy]

Hello
I have being playing SH4 in v1.5 and have sometimes had problems with my hydrophone not getting readings, the targets are well within range and in eyesight. Other times in a convoy attack, it won't show a particular escort and causes problems with my attack angle while still showing the rest of them.
Does anyone have a solution for this? Thanks

[captcrane]

Ahoy Thanks to help from members of this site I recently learned how to use the hydrophone. Hope this helps. You must be at 40 ft depth. There are 2 screens facing you. the one on the right has a black ring towards the outer half if you click on it the pointer will move. When the green light goes on you will hear the other ships screws. you can also make a fine adjustment with the mouse wheel. Then go to the other screen and toggle the switch and you will find out if its merchant or warship. by the way half the time its a misidentification. Also if you hover over the toolbar 1 of the icons will come back with speed, range, and direction of the target. If this isn't info you needed someone else will post with a better answer. Good Huntin!

[Aktungbby]

Jazzy!

[CapnScurvy]

Welcome to SubSim Jazzy!!

When using "Passive" detection (Hydrophone use) it depends on which mods you may have added to your game, or which side your playing....American or German.

In the American side, the S-Class will need to have its Hydrophone Head below the surface in order to pick up a ships screws. Periscope depth should do it. Your sensor head will look like this (mounted on the subs deck):



There are no optional upgrades for the S-Class Hydrophone head. You will always have a deck mounted Hydrophone sensor.

============

The early war Porpoise also uses an "on deck" Hydrophone Head, seen here:



It too will need to be submerged to pick up targets. In time, this head can be upgraded to a "Ball" type which will allow for Passive detection while the sub is surfaced. One of the hull bottom "Ball" sensors are for the Hydrophone. The other is for the Sonar......"Active" sonar detection.

===========

Most of the mid to late war submarines will have the "Ball" type of heads positioned on the bottom of the hull. No need to submerge for them. Here's a Gato:



There's no point of getting into "when" these upgrades are offered......every mod seems to be different as to when the upgrades are offered.

==========

The German side requires you to be submerged for all classes of subs in order to use the Hydrophone.

==========

One thing that's a known issue with the Hydrophone station when you manually use it. You will not hear the target (even if its in eye sight of you), IF the target is traveling less than half its Maximum Speed. Not that I would expect you to look for yourself. But, in the ships .sim file, there is a parameter for MaxSpeed. If the traveling speed is say 7 knots along its route, yet the MaxSpeed is set to 16 knots.......your Hydrophone is deaf as a post when you manually try to use it. The Hydrophone Operator will hear it, reporting on the target, but you won't hear a thing.

Much like the upgrade offering.......each mod may interfere with this MaxSpeed issue making it different for every situation (and for each ship for that matter).

[ColonelSandersLite]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

Hey now, how about a nsfw warning?

More seriously, I would add just a couple of things.
First, I think that either speed isn't the only factor or there's some workaround that's getting used sometimes in some mods. I wouldn't know what exactly it is though.

Second, even if you can't actually hear them, the green light above the bearing dial should be lit if you're on the right bearing.

[Armistead]

There are some other factors that may effect your crews AI ability, but will still be picked up by you unless the max speed issue that Capt. referred to is in play, then deaf.

[CapnScurvy]

This half of MaxSpeed issue with the manual use of the Hydrophone is not nearly as big a problem for those playing the "stock" game as those that have modded their game.......especially a mod that's modified the Single Mission or Campaign Mission files.

By and large, the stock game has many (if not most) of their ship speeds higher than half MaxSpeed between waypoints in its .mis files. So, you're more likely to not have this problem.

A mod like RSRDC that added hundreds of additional waypoints to its shipping routes, with many changes in ship speed between different waypoints, will have this issue regularly.

Jazzy, something you might consider when posting a question:

What mods, if any, are you using? And, in what order are they in "Activation" within JSGME? That always helps diagnose an issue.

[ColonelSandersLite]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

This half of MaxSpeed issue with the manual use of the Hydrophone

So I checked this and the idea that the problem is related to target speed < max speed/2 is definitely wrong. I can hear a 5 knot conte verde liner and hakusika maru just fine. On the other hand, I can't hear either when they are doing 4 knots. It might be a blanket problem with speed < 5 knots (or some number close to it, like 4.37821 knots or something). There may also be other causes.

[Jazzy]

Thanks for the comments, at the moment I'm not got any mods and using SH4 UBM v1.5 which definitely better than v1.3

[Barkerov]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

So I checked this and the idea that the problem is related to target speed < max speed/2 is definitely wrong. I can hear a 5 knot conte verde liner and hakusika maru just fine. On the other hand, I can't hear either when they are doing 4 knots. It might be a blanket problem with speed < 5 knots (or some number close to it, like 4.37821 knots or something). There may also be other causes.

Well that explains my dissapearing large freighter... it probably slowed down to less than 4 knots after those two torpedo hits. I never did sink it, I let her limp out of visual range so I could see if she went down later while staying hidden from the planes thinking all the while ill just find her on the hydrophones later.

grrrr. The next large nip I see gets 3 then and Admiral Hart with all due respect, wheres my ******* radar!!!

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

It might be a blanket problem with speed < 5 knots (or some number close to it, like 4.37821 knots or something). There may also be other causes.

Shows what YOU know, Mr Know It All! Any idiot knows that the threshold speed is 4.37822 knots!!!!! You were WAY off.

[ColonelSandersLite]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Shows what YOU know, Mr Know It All! Any idiot knows that the threshold speed is 4.37822 knots!!!!! You were WAY off.

Typo. Should have been <= 4.37821 knots, not <.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

Typo. Should have been <= 4.37821 knots, not <.

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

So I checked this and the idea that the problem is related to target speed < max speed/2 is definitely wrong. I can hear a 5 knot conte verde liner and hakusika maru just fine.

What mods are you running? What's the .sim file MaxSpeed for the Conte Verde and the Hakusika in your game set up? I'll check those ships as you described and tell you if you're right or not. I'll be happy to say I'm wrong on those ships....if you can provide the proof of your game mod setup.

[ColonelSandersLite]

Hakusika: 12
Conte Verde: 21

The only mod I have that messes with ship files is TMO 2.5. Everything else is minor mods to menu_1024etc, some dds files, superficial things of that nature.

Further, if it's going to be a simple global speed/2 issue like you're describing, it's *very* unlikely that the two ships I happened to test also happen to be immune, but the rule applies to everything else. At a guess, the point of confusion is that a *lot* of the games merchants have a maximum speed of around 10 knots. Somebody probably did inadequate testing and jumped to the wrong conclusion.

I'll even provide you with my test mission. Just change ship and speed to taste.

[Mission]
MissionType=0
MissionDataType=0
MultiMissionType=0
Year=1945
Month=8
Day=1
Hour=10
Minute=0
Fog=0
FogRand=0
Clouds=0
CloudsRand=0
Precip=0
PrecipRand=0
WindHeading=0
WindSpeed=5.000000
WindRand=0
WeatherRndInterval=5
SeaType=0

[Unit 1]
Name=_US Balao#1
Class=SSBalao
Type=200
Origin=American
Side=1
Commander=1
CargoExt=-1
CargoInt=-1
CfgDate=19440201
DeleteOnLastWaypoint=false
DockedShip=false
GameEntryDate=19440204
GameEntryTime=0
GameExitDate=19451231
GameExitTime=0
EvolveFromEntryDate=true
Long=-4092790.000000
Lat=3195020.000000
Height=0.000000
Heading=243.167007
Speed=0.000000
CrewRating=4
DelayMin=0
ReportPosMin=-1
ReportPosProbability=100
SecondsUntilReport=-28.048048
HighPrioContact=false
RandStartRadius=0.000000
TacticalUnit=false
AvailStartDate=19380101
AvailEndDate=19451231
NextWP=0

[Unit 1.Waypoint 1]
Speed=0.000000
Radius=0.000000
Loop=-1
LoopProbability=100
Long=-4101310.000000
Lat=3190710.000000
Height=-17.000000

[Unit 2]
Name=_JP Large Old Split Merchant#1
Class=KLSSHakusika
Type=102
Origin=Japan
Side=2
Commander=0
CargoExt=6
CargoInt=0
CfgDate=19380101
DeleteOnLastWaypoint=true
DockedShip=false
GameEntryDate=19380101
GameEntryTime=0
GameExitDate=19451231
GameExitTime=0
EvolveFromEntryDate=false
Long=-4126850.000000
Lat=3238510.000000
Height=0.000000
Heading=145.348007
Speed=12.000000
CrewRating=3
DelayMin=0
ReportPosMin=-1
ReportPosProbability=100
SecondsUntilReport=-28.048048
HighPrioContact=false
RandStartRadius=0.000000
TacticalUnit=false
AvailStartDate=19380101
AvailEndDate=19451231
NextWP=0

[Unit 2.Waypoint 1]
Speed=12.000000
Radius=0.000000
Loop=-1
LoopProbability=100
Long=-4089870.000000
Lat=3187270.000000
Height=0.000000

[Objective 1]
ObjName=High Realism Test with Nippon
Obj=2
ObjType=0
RenownAwarded=0
Tonnage=999999
TonnageType=0

[EditorParams]
InitLongOff=3864159488.000000
InitLatOff=-745401472.000000
ZoomIndex=0
Prefix=